


Conditioning Treatments and Tender Loving Care

by jimhoppersbeard



Series: I Want You To Want Me [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Frederick and Will moving in together, Frederick needs some Will love, Humiliation, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Scar touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-18 18:29:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2357879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jimhoppersbeard/pseuds/jimhoppersbeard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frederick needs Will's help in the bath as he is not allowed to get his facial injury wet. Meanwhile, Will has begun to rather want to comfort Frederick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conditioning Treatments and Tender Loving Care

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by an ask on my tumblr, here is the fic I promised involving Will helping Chilton to bathe, and ending up being all tender and gentle with him.

After recovering from their respective Hannibal-inflicted injuries, Will Graham and Frederick Chilton had decided to settle down together. Frederick was not ready to return to his 'corpse-ridden property' as he put it, making it clear to Will that he had nowhere else to go.

Sharing a hospital room toward the end of their recovery, Will had come accustomed to Frederick's ways, and started to actually quite like him (much to his own dismay). He had also grown used to hearing Frederick complain about everything imaginable, boss the nurses around as if he were in his own hospital, and to the long silences that would occur when Frederick looked sad and pretended to be asleep so that Will wouldn't notice. He did notice though. He never said anything, he didn't stare. But after a couple of weeks, he found that he had an urge to comfort Frederick. He tried to ignore it, but the more he pushed it to one side the stronger the urge came back.

Frederick on the other hand, did actually want to be comforted. He didn't want to discuss his injury with his ex-patient, let alone talk to him about how it made him feel. He did however crave human contact from someone who wanted to touch him. Someone who maybe even liked him as a person. This was a fantasy Frederick had been kicking around in his mind for quite some time, and now he was scarred twice, humiliated by a fellow psychiatrist and no longer had an impressive home to go to, it was a fantasy which played out every time his yes met with Wills. Will, who treated him like a person and not just another injury to be seen to. Who stayed awake at night with Frederick when neither of them could get more than 20 minutes rest without a nightmare, not talking, he was a silent companion who understood and didn't need to speak.

Of course, Frederick was limited with speech now that he had a hole blown through his left cheek and jaw. It was difficult to say more than a few words at a time, and his neck was sore constantly. He got horrendous headaches that lasted for hours and which no painkiller could soothe. The lack of sleep meant he had tired eyes with dark circles around them, and his nightmares ensured he couldn't escape from this new hell. He was utterly miserable.

Will occasionally read to him, just the interesting or cheery articles in the newspapers before his own pain meant he needed to rest too.

A few days before they were both due to be discharged (Chilton could have been discharged a few weeks before Will but refused due to not wanting to be alone and feeling unable to cope, making excuse after excuse every time the doctor brought it up), they had the discussion about both living at Wills. It would be just for a little while, so they both had someone else there until they recovered enough to resume as much a normal life as they could, and Frederick would take the guest room upstairs until such a time. They would help each other out with chores as equally as possible, except for when one of them particularly needed rest, and they would figure something out for Frederick after everything had calmed down.

They were both happy with the arrangement - both of them happier than they cared to admit, Will acting aloof and Frederick acting slightly cold.

As soon as they arrived, Frederick indicated that he wanted to use the shower to 'get rid of the hospital smell.' Will bit his lip rather than make a comment that Frederick basically lived at his own hospital before all this, and that hospital had a smell too.

Once inside, Frederick surveyed the bathroom. Not so long ago he had stood in this very shower to wash away the blood of the corpses which remained at his property (in his mind anyway). He took a deep breath and looked around.

He had been told to keep his wound dry at all times and to only apply a solution to it, twice a day. It was less a wound by now and more a scar, or at least it had begun to scar. He wouldn't be able to shower. He would have to use the bath. He practiced getting in and out of the tub leaving his cane propped against the side. It was awkward and he knocked his cane sending it clattering to the floor. Another problem occurred to him: how would he wash his hair? He was long overdue a conditioning treatment by now. He ran a hand through his thick and slightly oily hair and sighed at the split ends he could feel developing. His hair was his favourite feature. He took so much pride in it and was upset that it had come to this. What else did he have? His face was messed up, his body was messed up, and now his hair was in a state of disrepair. He needed to deal with this immediately.

Both Frederick and Will having received bed-baths from nurses whilst at the hospital, neither of them had given any thought to this before agreeing to live together. He had two choices: either spend a couple of hours in there trying hard not to get anything on his face, or ask Will for help.

He slowly made his way into the sitting room to see Will unpacking his bags and getting a wash load ready.

"Anything you want washing to get rid of the 'hospital smell'?" He tried not to sound sarcastic but it came out like that anyway.

"Yes. I would rather like to shower first. Although, I... Well, it's difficult because I can't get it wet," he gestured toward the bandage covering his scar.

"Take a bath, make it shallow," Will offered.

"I had considered that myself until I discovered that climbing in and out of your bath is just about as taxing as washing my hair will be," he looked sad, and stared at the floor.

A silence filled the room and Frederick wasn't sure whether he was asking for help or just creating an awkward situation.

"I'll help you. If you need me to," Will said quietly, not moving.

Frederick's cheeks burned. He felt humiliated that his own patient - no, ex-patient - was about to help him wash. It was embarrassing and it made him feel weak.

"No," he said before thinking. Of course he wanted - needed - Will to help him, but he was finding it difficult to admit.

"Frederick, I will help you. You can't just never wash because you're nervous about me seeing you naked."

It was so blunt that Frederick's head shot up from looking at the floor and he looked straight at Will with a shocked expression, eyebrows raised and eyes wide.

"It's not that- I... do you think that bothers me," he bristled. It did bother him. Not only was he nervous about that, he was nervous about Will seeing his scar - the large red, uneven line across his stomach. 

"I'll help you in, draw the bath and wash your hair. It's nothing I haven't done a thousand times with the dogs. We'll be done minutes."

Frederick didn't know whether he was more surprised at Will's complete kindness or at being compared to one of Will's dogs. Either way, this had to be done.

"Fine," he said quietly and slowly, having to admit defeat.

He followed Will into the bathroom and stood still as though awaiting instruction.

"You have taken a bath before? I believe one needs to remove their clothing for the bathing experience to be worthwhile," Will wasn't even trying to hold back anymore, he found this all rather amusing and was enjoying Frederick's clear embarrassment. After being Frederick's patient, Will felt like he was the one in control now.

Frozen to the spot, Frederick managed to unzip his sweater and remove his belt. He was moving with caution and Will was becoming inpatient. Will reached forward and unbuttoned Frederick's shirt quickly, roughly even, and told him harshly to take his cotton t shirt off. Frederick turned around and removed the rest of his clothing.

"I've seen it all before, Frederick. I have a penis myself believe it or not."

It was the scar though. He didn't want Will to see it. He wrapped his arms around his middle and turned toward the bath. Will hadn't even given it a thought and when Frederick turned, he caught a glimpse of the raised, red skin in stark contrast to the rest of his torso. He instantly softened, feeling sympathy, remembering that they both have scars like that. Thinking that if this were the other way around, he would be just as humiliated.

Grabbing Frederick's arm whilst he stepped into the bath, Will whispered, "I'm sorry."

Frederick looked up, a tear had formed in his eye and he nodded, wiping it away before it had a chance to fall and trickle down his cheek.

Awkwardly, Will moved forward to wrap his arms around Frederick's chest to lower him until he was sitting in the tub. He lingered after Frederick was sat down, just for a second or two, but long enough for it to become more than just helpful leverage. It almost became a hug. Frederick gripped onto Will tightly, knowing Will had to take it easy too and that this was probably too much for him right now. He appreciated it, and he appreciated the apology.

Will tore himself away quickly, not looking back at Frederick, feeling a pinch more awkward than he already did. He drew the bath, making it shallow and adding some of Frederick's oil which had been delivered with the rest of his things in anticipation of living here. Will thought it smelled beautiful but he didn't say anything.

He left to get the jug he used with the dogs and returned to wash Frederick's hair.

"Lean your head back, cover your face with this towel."

Frederick kept his eyes closed as Will took a jug full of the bath water and poured it slowly over Frederick's hair. It felt warm and incredibly sensual after having nothing but a luke-warm wet flannel squeezed over his head for the last couple of months. This felt like absolute bliss, steam rising from the water and now from his hair, mixed with the strong and heavenly smell of lavender oil. Will began rubbing Frederick's $30-a-bottle shampoo slowly into his follicles. The massaging felt so gentle and relaxing that Frederick let out a little moan, completely lost in this sensory bliss but instantly stiffening at realising how it sounded. Will didn't pause though - he just carried on massaging Frederick's scalp. Maybe he didn't notice. Another jug full of warm, scented water to wash away the shampoo. He felt like he was floating and started the drift off into a daydream abut Will massaging other places - his neck, his back, his legs. Another little moan followed by a sigh.

Will must have heard him that time.

But once again he did not pause, he continued on, rubbing his scalp again - slower, gently pressing the shampoo out and grazing his skin with his finger tips each time. His voice broke the tension.

"So, Frederick. This conditioning treatment, it's just left on for 5 minutes?"

Frederick coughed. He tried to sound like he hadn't just been carried away into another world. "Yes."

Will squeezed the excess water from Frederick's thick, dark hair and gently dabbed the treatment on. Frederick was expecting to be left alone for the 5 minutes, but Will stayed, sitting in silence on the edge of the bath tub, occasionally glancing at his watch to get the timing right.

When time was up and a Will washed away the treatment, he couldn't help but enjoy how fantastically soft Frederick's hair felt. He ran a hand through it and felt how silky the strands were between his fingers. He looked down to see that Frederick still had his arms wrapped firmly around his middle to cover his scar. Will wrapped Frederick's hair in a towel.

"Let's get you rinsed off then."

He emptied the bath and filled the jug up from the tap to pour over Frederick's body. He had removed the towel from his face and opened his eyes, his scar quickly covered again with his arms.

"You can relax, it's ok," Will said softly as he knelt on the floor with the jug ready. "I won't stare, I won't even look." He slowly poured the clear water over Frederick's shoulders as his arms moved to the sides, revealing the full scar for longer than a few seconds. His stomach tensed up and he looked away. As the water tricked down his chest, Wills hand appeared on his back, slowly wiping away bubbles left over from the shampoo. The smell and the touches, the warm water covering him, Wills kindness, it relaxed him incredibly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"That's better," Will said.

This was without a doubt the best bath Frederick had ever taken, and given the circumstances he would never have guessed it. He felt so relaxed, so calm, so loved. Loved? He felt like he needed to calm down. Will didn't see him that way and he wasn't about to admit to himself that he saw Will that way.

"Thank you," he managed. "That was... very helpful and kind of you." He stopped himself from saying something like 'that was fantastic' or 'that was perfect.' But as usual he couldn't stop himself from talking too much. "I rather am looking forward to my next bath."

His eyes rolled as he realised how pathetic and desperate that sounded. He didn't want to make it sound like he enjoyed it too much.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Frederick."

"I wouldn't say 'enjoy'," he laughed, trying to sound cold once more. "I just mean that-"

"You don't need to say anything. Your moans said everything I needed to know." Will wasn't being sarcastic, he sounded gentle. Like he approved.

"Oh- I," Frederick stuttered, searching for an explanation.

"It's ok, I am an expert at baths remember. The dogs. I expected you to enjoy it, I just didn't expect you to be quite so... into it."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. No one has touched me in-"

"Frederick, there's no need to explain." Will tipped the jug over Frederick's scar and his hand followed. He ran his palm from the top to the bottom of it, looking up at the ceiling. "See, as I promised, I'm not looking." He pretended he didn't hear Frederick talking about not being touched.

It was a good job that he didn't look too. Frederick's cock twitched at the feel of Wills rough hand running down toward it.

Snap out of it, Frederick. This isn't sexual.

It wasn't. But it stirred him in ways he hadn't been stirred before. And there was an undeniable sexual tension beginning to rise between them. Will was touching his body and he was enjoying it. He felt overwhelmed. Such attention from Will in such a relaxing setting was almost too much for him to bear. And Will knew it, from the first moan he heard escaping Frederick's lips. He wrapped a towel around Frederick's shoulders and after the effort of standing up himself, he helped the smaller man out of the bath.

Will could see Frederick wincing in pain, both from his stomach and from his facial injury. He put an arm around Frederick's middle to steady him as he waited for the pain to subside enough for him to stand up by himself. It did, but Will's arm remained. Frederick looked up with heavy, almost pleading eyes.

Will dipped down slightly and pressed his lips to Frederick's, soft and promising. As he pulled away Frederick sighed.

"Thank you." Barely a whisper.

"No problem. I'm expecting you to help me next time," Will smirked. He was only half joking and it sounded inviting. He wanted it to sound that way.

This flustered Frederick. He realised that he has just been bathed by Will, kissed by Will and invited by Will to help him bathe. "Uh- of course... Of course I will help you. Any time. Any time at a-"

A second tender kiss stopped him mid sentence. "Get dressed - carefully, I will be outside."

Once dried off and dressed, Frederick found Will sitting on the sofa watching the clock tick on the mantle piece. He sat by him and rested his head on Wills shoulder. For once, Will wanted time to stand still.

**Author's Note:**

> There we have it. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them, so please tell me! I'm considering making this a series about how they get on living together, this being the first event. Let me know if there's anything you want to read and I will see what I can do.


End file.
